Milbourne, Luke

, a poetical writer of no very
honourable reputation, was the son of a nonconformist
minister, of both his names, a native of Loughborough in
Leicestershire, who was ejected from the living of Wroxhal in Warwickshire. He died in 1667. Of his son, little
seems to be known unless that he was educated at Pembroke hall, Cambridge, where he is said to have taken his
master’s degree, but we do not find him in the list of graduates of either university. Mr. Malone thinks he was
beneficed at Yarmouth, from whence he dates his correspondence about 1690. We are more certain that he was
instituted to the living of St. Ethelburga within Bishopsgate, London, in 1704, and long before that, in 1688, was
chosen lecturer of Shoreditch. Dryden, whom he was
weak enough to think he rivalled, says in the preface to
his “Fables,” that Milbourne was turned out of his benefice for writing libels on his parishioners. This must have
been his Yarmouth benefice, if he had one, for he retained
the rectory of St. Ethelburga, and the lectureship of Shoreditch, to his death, which happened April 15, 1720. As
an author he was known by a “Poetical Translation of
Psalms,” 1698, of a volume called “Notes on Dryden’s
Virgil,” 1698 of “Tom of Bedlam’s Answer to Hoadly,”
&c. He is frequently coupled with Blackmore, by Dryden, in his poems, and by Pope in “The Art of Criticism;”
and is mentioned in “The Dunciad.” He published thirtyone single “Sermons,” between 1692 and 1720; a book
against the Socinians, 1692, 12mo; and “A Vindication
of the Church of England,” 1726, 2 vols. 8vo. A whimsical copy of Latin verses, by Luke Milbourne, B, A. is in
the “Lacrymse Cantabrigienses, 1670,” on the death of
Henrietta duchess of Orleans. Dr. Johnson, in the Life of
| Dryden, speaking of that poet’s translation of Virgil, says,
“Milbourne, indeed, a clergyman, attacked it (Dryden’s Virgil), but his outrages seem to be the ebullitions of a
mind agitated by stronger resentment than bad poetry can
excite, and previously resolved not to be pleased. His
criticism extends only to the preface, pasturals, and georgtcks; and, as he professes to give this antagonist an opportunity of reprisal, he has added his own version of the
first and fourth pastorals, and the first georgic.” Malone
conjectures that Melbourne’s enmity to Dryden originally
arose from Dryden’s having taken his work out of his
hands as he once projected a translation of Virgil, and
published a version of the first Æneid. As he had Dryden
and his friends, and Pope and his friends against him, we
cannot expect a very favourable account either of his
talents or morals. Once only we find him respectfully
mentioned, by Dr. Walker, who thanks him for several
valuable communications relative to the sequestered divines. 1

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